Golden Glitter
by AngolMoaChan
Summary: All that is gold does not glitter...Sequel to Mornings in the Elric House
1. Chapter 1

Golden Glitters

A One-shot

By AngolMoaChan

Summary: _All that is gold does not glitter…_

_Sequel-ish thing to Mornings in the Elric House._

**Okay, you all may slap me for not writing Suspicions now. (waits)**

…

**Moving on, I saw the fanfic the oh-so-kind _FullMetal59 _wrote based off of "Mornings in the Elric House", so I wanted to expand a little on the "children" theme. Sound good to y'all? (…god, I am SUCH a hick…)**

**--**

Golden eyes blinked awake slowly, opening to the hazy light of early morning. The owner of said orbs, Edward Elric, groaned loudly and buried his nose in the nest of warm blonde hair located below his chin. He slowly reached over and wrapped an arm over the slim waist of Winry Rockbell, his wife and mechanic, and breathed in the scent of her shampoo, trying to ignore the golden rays of the sun flaring across the bedsheets like the splayed fingers of a child.

Speaking of children…Ed could have sworn he heard the thudding of socked feet on wood floor followed by a voice in his ear. He closed his eyes again and steadied his breathing, so maybe this little _interruption_ would leave the room before Edward Elric went into "awakened-before-he-was-damn-well-ready-to-be" mode.

"dad…dad…" the soft whisper was evident now, a child's timid voice murmuring in his ear deliberately, trying to get Dad awake for some reason Edward would rather not think about this early.

The soft, fatherly part of Ed was melting with glee at the innocence in his daughter's voice, but sleep was still calling and he was ready to pick up the phone. He growled softly in his throat and tried to make the annoyance go away…

"Dad, come on! Get up!" something tugged on his long hair and he jumped but kept his position, tangled up with Winry so little hands couldn't pull him free. Ed heard the defeated sigh of the child and he grinned victoriously, stifling a laugh into Winry's blonde locks. Almost as if on cue, something jumped on his stomach, "Daaaaddd! Come on! You're supposed to take me to see Mr. Mustang today!"

Ah yes. Another reason not to get up, "…five more minutes…"

"Wake up!" Chubby fingers began to tickle over his bare stomach, completely ignoring the face that he was shirtless and pretty damn cold.

Ed froze. This…is bad. "_Oh…no…not there, please…"_ He started to laugh uncontrollably, "Haha--Nina! Stop--it!"

"Come on, Dad! Time to get up!" Nina giggled at the expression on her dad's face, completely helpless to the wrath of her curious fingers, "Or I'll get Mom up and then you know you'll regret it!"

He blinked and sat up, letting the seven-year-old slide off of him like water, "…you're probably right. I don't think anything wants to wake your mother up before sev--GAH!"

A pair of wandering fingers, this time slender and feminine, traced up his spine, followed by lips pressed lightly against his neck, "Who said anything about me being asleep?"

Ed shivered up and down, "Jeez, Winry, you scared me half to death…"

"Good morning to you too." She smiled sleepily and draped her arms around his neck, "You sound tired."

"I am! A certain little girl woke me up when I was rather comfortable…" he glared playfully at Nina, who giggled cutely, "And now I'm going to have to take her all the way to Central to see everyone's favorite Colonel Bastard."

Winry laughed, "Ah, I almost forgot about that. At least it's not so far off anymore…"

"Yeah, yeah, I know…only a couple of hours, blah blah blah." He grumbled but then turned to face Winry. He smiled at her before quickly pecking her cheek, "Good morning."

"Aww, come on, that's all I get for a goodbye kiss? You are leaving your poor wife here all by herself for a couple of day--"

Ed cut her off, swinging her around so she was almost sitting in his lap before kissing her, holding her up and close to him with one hand. Nina giggled, "Ewww! Dad! Mom!"

"Nina, when you grow up and get pretty, I hope you don't get a romance blockhead like your father…" Winry grinned at her daughter from her comfortable position, curled in Ed's lap in a catlike sprawl, "You should hope for a guy like your uncle. He's a romantic."

"Heey! Winry!" Ed whined before pushing her out of his lap, causing her to pitch over onto the floor, "Well if I'm not a romantic, then you can't have that spot. Now come on, we have to start breakfast."

She winked at Nina, "See? I have to push limits to get what I want. That's how we had our first kiss, anyway…"

"Oh…? What happened?"

Ed blushed about ten shades of red, "Winry! Don't tell your daughter that!"

"Mom! Ignore Dad! Tell me!"

Winry grinned and picked up Nina, "Well…it was a really nice day, back home in Resembool…"

"Win! Come on!" Ed complained, "I hate that damn story!"

"…and I was in the workroom, fixing his arm for the billionth time when I suggested that we--"

"It was _not_ the billionth time! It was more like the…fourteenth…"

"--go outside. So your dad followed me outside, and I started to taunt him. You know, call him short. That always gets him really mad."

"You didn't just call me short! You pushed the envelope! Called me a beansprout!"

"…he didn't have his other arm, because I was fixing it, so he had no way to get me...so he pinned me to the wall with one hand and kissed me. Needless to say I was very shocked…" she trailed off, grinning impishly, "And that was the end of the talking for awhile."

Nina smiled at her Dad, "Shorty!"

"Aww! Come on! Now my wife and my daughter are conspiring against me! Not fair!"

"You said it yourself, Ed. Let's start breakfast." Winry winked at him before putting Nina down. The little girl raced down the stairs shouting "FOOD!" all the way.

With Nina out of the room, Ed walked over to Winry and slipped his arms around his waist, "You can't say I'm not romantic. Not after everything you were saying to me last night…" he grinned down at her, golden eyes twinkling mischievously.

She blushed, "Touché, touché."

"Thank you, you're far too kind." He took her hand and led her downstairs, "We have a little monster downstairs that wants food and wants it now."

"And you're asking me to make it? Treat us, Mr. Gourmet Chef" she smirked, knowing she had won this game, "You know damn well I can't bake without burning something."

"Fair enough. I'm always looking for a chance to show off my culinary art." Ed grinned and went into the kitchen, tying his long hair into a ponytail, "I'll make waffles. Sound good to you two?"

"Yes!" they chorused, even the grumblings of their stomachs in perfect harmony.

"Wasn't expecting such an enthusiastic answer! Alright, waffles it is." He busied himself pulling ingredients from cupboards.

"So what does Roy want you to come in for anyway?" Winry asked curiously, folding her hands and resting her chin on top, "It's not like you're still one of his dogs…"

"I dunno…he probably wants to brag about Maye" he groaned, rolling his eyes, "He's almost as bad as Hughes was, and that's saying something…"

"Maye's a pretty cute kid, though. Not as cute as Nina…" she nodded concisely, drawing up the picture of Mustang's amber-eyed daughter, "And I'm sure he and Riza will raise her well."

Ed snorted, "Are you kidding? You know Hawkeye will do all the work." A little while later, three steaming batches of waffles sat on plates before each member of the Elric family, topped with strawberries and powdered sugar, "Bon apetit!"

"Mmm! This looks great Ed!" Winry clapped her hands joyfully, "You always know what to make for me!"

"Of course! You're my girl!' he flirted, winking at her affectionately.

Winry laughed and rolled her eyes, "You're just saying that to get me in your bed again."

There was a short silence as Ed comprehended what she said. He nodded once, before reaching down to pick up a bite of the waffle, only to stop with the morsel in mid air. Ed looked at her, eyes wide as coins in the picture of innocence, "…is it working?"

She groaned, slapping a hand to her forehead exaggeratedly, "…maybe."

"Really?"

"When you get back…maybe…"

Ed grinned before looking down at the plain silver pocket watch looped into his belt, "…Winry? Hate to break it to you…but we have to leave. Now."

"Huh? What?"

He jumped out of his seat and raced upstairs. The room was silent for a moment before Ed came barreling back down the stairs, dressed in his usual red-on-black attire. He grabbed Nina's hand and pulled her to the door, "Come on! We'll miss the train!"

She giggled and followed him, "Okay! Coming!"

Winry stared at the door for a moment, willing it to open again. It didn't: so she turned back to her waffle. Suddenly, Ed came banging back through the door and went to Winry, "I forgot something."

"What did you--oh…" he dropped his suitcase and pulled her close by her waist before kissing her passionately. Winry let her fork fall back on the table as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Ed broke off and smiled at her, "Love you, machine junkie."

"Love you too, alchemy freak. Have fun at the office."

"Fun isn't the right word…" he groaned before kissing her forehead, "See you in two days."

"Bye!" she laughed as he went zooming out the door again, gone in a flash of red and gold. Winry smiled and continued to eat, watching as the silhouette of the black car in their driveway pulled out and shot up the road.

Life is just a play, and all men and women it's actors. It gets a little crazy, a little funny, a little sad, and even a little odd sometimes, and Winry could honestly say she loved having the leading role.

**END**

**Ahem…now that your teeth have rotted from fluff, I would like to bring you the announcement that I am an ACTION TYPER! XDD**

**I apparently make faces when I type/write. Weird, huh?**

**If the site isn't having issues like it was LAST time I tried to post, then I can put it up tomorrow. Cause I don't have school. Jealous yet? XD**

**Love to you all, especially FullMetal59 for using me as a muse! (Yes, I'm still totally thrilled about that! XDD)**

**AMC**


	2. Mission Statement

Golden Glitters

By AngolMoaChan

**You guys win. I'm turning this into a chapter story. **

**Warnings? -- **Um, you might lose a few of your teeth from fluff-rot. XD I guess some cursing too.

**Timeline/Story Universe--** If you haven'tread** Romanticism, **or **Mornings in the Elric House**, then read those first. I suppose you don't _need _to read the first one, but it's good background.

**And a special note-** I have discovered that I have been over-influenced by **Sarif/Sable-sama** and decided to change the plot line a bit. That means it won't all be fluff! XD Sorry!

Chapter Two: Mission Statement

--

"Have I ever told you how much I hate seeing the Colonel?" Ed groaned, leaning into the uncomfortable wooden train seat and closing his eyes, "I swear, he lets me go home for a few days and then it's right back to work! I don't even work for him anymore!"

Nina giggled, "I know, Dad."

"I could just…" he wrapped his hands around Invisible-Roy's neck and mimed strangling him, "He makes me so mad…But moving on to a less violent subject, wasn't there something I was supposed to do for your mother…?"

"Umm…" she put a chubby finger on her chin, "Was it something about a tool?"

"No, I don't think so. That was a good guess though." He laughed, pulling a small black book out of his coat pocket, "Maybe I wrote it down in here…"

"What's that, Daddy?"

"Oh…this?" he waved the small notebook in the air, "It has my notes in it, important dates, and…a lot of pictures."

"Pictures? Can I see?"

"Sure." He flipped to the back of the dog-eared and well worn tome, and several pictures fell out, "Most of them are pretty recent."

"Oh…" Nina fingered the tattered edges of the first photo, "Who's this?"

"This is the girl you were named after." Ed smiled, taking the picture from her. It was Nina Tucker alright; the same sweet little girl who was senselessly murdered by her insane father. The images from that horrible day still haunt him--many a night he would wake up in a cold sweat and it would take Winry hours to calm him down again. Shaking his head sadly, he turned the picture over and read the inscription on the back before putting it back in the book, "What's next?"

"Oh! It's you and Uncle Al!" she squealed gleefully, handing the picture to Ed.

He laughed, "I remember this." A good couple of months after Al got his body back, the brothers had started a playful sparring match, which effectively lead to a type of restraint Ed hadn't thought of. His crafty little brother worked him into a corner as they fought before alchemizing a large and sturdy cage complete with handcuffs so Ed couldn't clap his hands. Winry snapped the final photograph, which was ultimately known as the "He-finally-crossed-the-line-and-got-sent-to-jail" picture. Al grinned gleefully and stood next to the cage, showing a victory sign as the camera flashed, "Your mother will never let me live it down."

"I think it's funny!" Nina put the picture back in the book before pulling out another one.

The photo was of Winry, holding a newborn girl with wispy golden hair and wide open eyes of the same color, "Is this me?"

A soft smile crossed Ed's face and he nodded, "Yep. This was right after you were born. You only cried for a few minutes and then you were just like this. You never did cry much as a baby…"

"I don't like crying!" she pouted, crossing her arms, "I hate it when other people see me cry!"

"I know." Ed laughed, rubbing her head affectionately, "You're just as stubborn as me."

"Mom says that's a bad thing…"

He snorted, "Please. Your mother is just as stubborn as I am, if not more."

Nina pulled out the next picture, "Hey! It's you and Mom!"

Ed groaned, putting a hand to his forehead, "Why do I even carry this around anyway?"

"What happened?" she asked inquisitively, golden orbs wide with curiosity, "I wanna know!"

"Well…" he blushed a little, scratching the back of his head, "That was actually…when I took your mother on our first date. Al and the Colonel had been spying on us and they took this picture. I don't think I've blushed any harder than that before…"

"What did Mom say?"

"It wasn't what she said…it was more like when she came and sat down. I think I was just in shock. Not only was she dressed up, but she looked absolutely gorgeous. It was just a couple of weeks later that I proposed to her, which is what the next picture is from…"

Sure enough, the next snapshot was of Winry crying with joy and hugging Ed, the glint of a diamond ring evident on her finger, "Oh yeah…Mom told me this story…"

"Yeah…I would say hands-down that was the most romantic thing I have ever done." He grinned, "I had some help from your uncle. It was pretty interesting when your mother found out about _that…_"

Nina took the next picture out carefully, "Is this from when you married Mom, Daddy?"

Ed laughed and nodded, taking it and examining it carefully, "The photographer took this without telling either of us and then gave it to us as a wedding present." He had been holding Winry tightly around the waist and laughing at something while she had her arms around his neck and one hand lightly tangled in his hair. The photographer snapped it right then, catching them both in an expression of pure mirth, "This is my favorite out of all the pictures we took that day."

She grinned and announced, "I know who this is!" as she pulled out the next picture.

"That would be you, alright. The only innocent pose I have ever seen you in."

Nina was sitting outside under a large tree, her golden hair blowing in the wind and her eyes focused on a small purple butterfly that had landed on her nose. He studied the snapshot and traced the edges with a gloved finger, "Can't you be this cute all the time?"

"Daaad!" Nina whined, "You're mean!"

"Just kidding!" he laughed at the pout crossing her face and patted her head affectionately, "You're still cute even when you're being a public menace."

She closed the small book carefully and handed it back to Ed, "Here you go, Daddy."

"Thanks, sweetheart." He smiled and pulled off his red coat before draping it around Nina's small shoulders, "Are you tired?"

Nina shook her head, but the effect was ruined as a large yawn punctuated her sentence, "I'm not…tired"

"You know it's a long ride. Why don't you take a nap?"

"I'm not tired!" Another loud yawn.

Ed smirked, "If you're not tired, then why are you yawning, hm?"

"But…"

"Even if you don't, I know I'll probably fall asleep…" he grinned as Nina let off a disgruntled sigh and leaned on his arm, "Goodnight, sweetheart."

But there was no answer: she was already fast asleep.

--

Ed stretched luxuriously and yawned before pulling back the small train curtain. There were only a few minutes left of the trip…He turned to Nina and smiled softly, sweeping a lock of golden blonde hair out of her sleeping face.

She blinked awake slowly and met Edward's loving gaze, "…are we here?"

"Almost, dear." He responded, running a hand through her short bangs, "We're about to pull in to the station."

Nina jumped up in excitement, "Really? Hooray Central!"

Ed laughed as she bounced up and down with glee, singing "Central! Central!" until the train pulled into the station, "Don't hurt yourself."

Nina twirled in a circle and stood on her tiptoes, letting her golden hair fly around her in a soft arc before skipping off the train, Ed following hastily, "Come on Daddy! We're gonna be la--"

Her statement was quickly interrupted as she crashed into something with a heavy thud. Nina fell backwards, and looked up at the man, "I'm sorry!"

Ed hurried over and helped her up before turning to the man, "I'm so sorry, she was just a little exci…ted?" he stopped as the man turned around.

Tan skin.

Red eyes.

And an X-shaped scar across his face…

Gasping softly in realization, Ed breathed, "…Scar?"

"FullMetal Alchemist Edward Elric. We meet again." The man's eyes hardened at the silver loop and chain hanging from Ed's belt, "Still in the military, I see."

Edward looked from left to right slowly, trying to find an exit. _A crowded train station…I have Nina…he won't attack me here…right?_ Something clicked and his eyes widened in horror, _'He would! I have to get Nina out of here!'_

"Something wrong, Daddy?" Nina asked innocently, tugging lightly on Ed's sleeve. Silence broken, Scar lunged, holding out his hand and preparing for his attack.

Edward dodged quickly, ducking down low before sweeping up Nina and running in the opposite direction, ducking through many a disgruntled passenger, "Nina, sweetie, we have to get away from that man. Far away."

"Was…was he mad at me?"

"No, he's had a grudge against me for a long time…" Ed soothed, trying to keep Nina calm. He thought bitterly, _a grudge I'm really getting sick of…_

Suddenly something grabbed him by his braid, sending him reeling and Nina skittering from his arms. Edward was face to face with the serial killer, easily within range of his killing attack. But Scar didn't put out his hand: rather he grabbed Edward by the collar and spat, "Is that your daughter, boy?"

Ed nodded, "Yes she is. And you shouldn't have any rancor against an innocent child."

The Ishbalan let go, causing Edward to fall to the ground with a dull thud, "Treat her well, FullMetal Alchemist. I have no more business with you."

He watched bug eyed as Scar stalked away into the crowd. _Did he just…say he didn't want to hurt me anymore?_

A tearful shout broke his train of thought as Nina glomped him, hugging his neck tightly, "Daddy! Are you okay?! Did that mean guy hurt you?! 'cause I'll go smack him for it!"

Ed laughed weakly and patted her head, "I'm fine, sweetheart. Just a little surprised. Now then…" he stood up, and swept her into his arms, "Are you ready to go see Colonel Bas…I mean, Colonel Mustang?"

"Yeah!" she giggled, "Ready to see Colonel Bastard!"

Ed stared at her in shock, golden optics wide in complete horror, "Nina Trisha Elric! You did not just say that!"

"Oh…oops…"

"Well…" Ed grinned like a fox, "Don't tell your mother I taught you that."

"Okay!" Nina smiled, hopping back onto the ground and heading towards the large Central office, "It's the big building, right?"

"Yep!" he nodded, taking her small hand in his own, "The biggest one in Central. He never let's me hear the end of it…"

"Come on, Daddy! Let's go!" she giggled, pulling him along while she ran.

"Whoa! Hey! Nina!" Ed laughed as she tugged him along, "Careful!"

"Psh, I'll be fine!"

They quickly reached the building and strode inside before climbing the stairs to Roy's office. Ed announced loudly, "Good morning Colonel Bastard!"

"Ah. You always seem to make the dramatic entrances." Roy noted, leaning backwards in his plush office chair, "Never a 'hello' or a 'how are you?' or anything…"

"You don't deserve one." He frowned, looking from left to right, "Where's Lieutenant Hawkeye?"

"She's off for…well, she has the day off."

"Bastard Colonel, you got her pregnant again, didn't you." Ed asked, an evil grin curling over his face.

Roy jumped a little but quickly regained his cool composure, "If I did I wouldn't tell you."

"Uh-huh. You did. I can tell. Give the poor girl a break once in a while, Mustang!"

"Like you have any right to talk." He said coolly, a mischievous glint in his onyx eyes, "Mr. Oh-please-help-me-Colonel-I-know-nothing-about----"

Ed cut him off with a furious blush and indignantly squeaked, "Shut up! What the hell did you want with me any--"

"Mr. Mustang!" Nina squealed suddenly, waving from behind Ed's leg, "We saw a scary man on the way here!"

"I guess it's down to business then." Roy patted the corner of his desk in silent approval for Nina, who leapt on it and folded her arms to watch, "FullMetal, is she talking about Scar?"

"Yes." He nodded, flopping into one of the rolling office chairs, "But it was really…odd. He saw I had Nina with me and asked me if she was my daughter. When I said yes, he just left and said he had 'no more business with me'"

"That's interesting…" Mustang put two fingers to his chin in his I'm-Thinking-Really-Hard pose, "Doesn't he know Winry?"

"Well, I suppose he would recognize her" Ed scowled, mind flashing back to that struggle, where he had nearly given his own life for her. Hell, he would still do that now…, "But what does Winry have to do with any of this?"

"Maybe he knew that you loved her back then too, just like the rest of us. And then when he saw Nina, he must have though of her and known."

Ed's cheeks flushed a deep shade of pink, "…whoa whoa whoa. You all _knew_?! Before we even told each other?!"

"Of course we knew, FullMetal. Anyone with eyes could have seen it. Now as I was saying, he might not have wanted to leave Winry widowed because he still felt guilty for killing her parents."

He stared in awed silence, "…wow, Colonel. That was pretty deep."

"Thank you Elric, it's called thinking. You should really try it sometime."

Nina laughed as Ed fumed, "Oh please, bastard, you only wish you were as smart as me."

"Yes, like I only wish I was as short as you, hm?"

"I'M NOT SHORT!" he scowled, fixing Roy with narrowed golden eyes, "Bastard Colonel. First you take away from what very little time I get to spend at home, and then you insult me? That's not very hospitable of you."

"I stopped being hospitable to you a long time ago, little brat. I learned that the second I met you."

"Colonel Shit."

"Short stuff."

The two glared at each other for a moment before Roy shook his head with a sigh, "I must be getting old to let you beat me, Elric."

Ed grinned toothily, "Yes, yes, I know. Now then…what do you want anyway? I'm about ready to get back home and back into my own bed, and no, that's not what I'm talking about, so don't give me that lecherous look."

"Fair enough. I'll assume that was the hormones talking. Anyway…" Roy reached into his desk and ignored Ed's indignant squeak. He pulled out a thick file folder packed with papers, "Have you ever heard of a man named Presagio Escello?"

"Sounds like some kind of food." Ed frowned and shook his head. Noting the serious look on Roy's face, he turned to Nina, "Nina? Why don't you go play with Black Hayate?"

"Okay!" she smiled and leapt off of Roy's desk before bounding out the door.

Once she was gone, Roy started again, "Escello is wanted for the murder of thirty-two people in a small town called Sanable. We have serious reason to believe he has been using these people as…_experiments_."

"For biological alchemy…" he breathed, golden eyes widening in horror, "He isn't…"

"Oh you bet he is." Roy scowled, "Chimeras, human transmutation…the works. The man is a former State Alchemist, the Broken Soul Alchemist. Got the name because he would break people until they obeyed his every word."

Ed shivered, "Sounds gruesome."

"You bet it is. I'm giving you one week off, but then I want you to haul your ass straight to Sanable. Bring Winry too."

"What?! Why? But what about Nina?"

"Her automail and surgical skills would be incredibly useful to many of these people. They need your help."

"But Nina!" he shouted angrily, causing the coffee cup on Roy's desk to rattle, "What am I supposed to do for _her?!_ What if I get hurt?! Or even killed! She'll be all alone and there's NOTHING I CAN DO ABOUT IT!"

"If you want, Riza and I can take care of her for a while…" he noted absentmindedly, "At least if it's okay with her…"

Ed's decibel level lowered, golden eyes storming to a deep amber, "Fine. I'll do your god damn work, and then when I'm done, you can have this--"he pulled his pocket watch out, "back. I'm done after this."

"Fair enough." Roy watched as the blonde raged out of the office, slamming the door behind him.

"Daddy! You're finished already?" Nina smiled, running up to hug him.

Ed caught her in his arms and hugged her tight, "You bet I am! Now come on. We have to get back home to your mother."

"We do? Why?"

"I just remembered what I needed to do for your mother."

"What was it?"

"Tomorrow's October 10th. Our anniversary."

--

**I swear I'm not making this an only action story! XD I'm going to describe the week in great detail, and _then _go into the action! **

**(coughs) Nine pages.**

**I have no life. XD **


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